Lt. Aimee Gilbert (center) of the
Chesterton Fire Department receives the Firefighter of the Year award at the
CFD’s annual ceremony on March 6. Presenting Gilbert with the honor are Fire
Chief Mike Orlich (left) and Deputy Fire Chief John Jarka (right). Gilbert
is now in her tenth year of service with the CFD. (Photo provided)

By KEVIN NEVERS

The Chesterton Fire Department and Westchester Township are good to go this
year.

At its meeting Monday night, the Town Council voted 5-0 to approve the 2013
fire protection contract under which the CFD will respond to fires and other
emergencies in a designated portion of unincorporated Westchester Township.

The contract—submitted by the Westchester Township Trustee’s Office—will pay
the Town of Chesterton $37,800 or $81.3 percent of the total amount
earmarked by the township for fire protection service.

The 18.7-percent balance—or around $8,510—will go to the Town of Porter,
whose fire department also responds to fires in a designated portion of
Westchester Township.

The total amount earmarked for fire protection service is divided between
the towns based on the percentage of calls to which each department responds
in the previous year. The 2013 contract is essentially unchanged from the
2012 contract.

New Tree Grant

In other business, members voted 5-0 to authorize Street Commissioner John
Schnadenberg to apply for an 80/20 tree grant made available by
Indiana-American Water Company.

Under the grant—which will pay for the purchase and planting of new street
trees—the town would be able to split its 20-percent match of $3,900 between
in-kind services and cash. Of the latter, the Tree Committee would only be
on the hook for $1,200, with moneys already on hand in the Tree Gift Fund,
Schnadenberg said.

CPR/First Aid
Training

Meanwhile, Fire Chief Mike Orlich reported that the CFD assisted in the
training last week of 99 municipal employees in CPR and 91 in first aid.

Tag Day

At members’ request, Police Chief Dave Cincoski said that he would obtain
more information from the Young Champions of America Cheerleading Club,
affiliated with the Valparaiso chapter of the Boys and Girls Club of Porter
County, which has asked to hold a tag day on June 15 to raise funds to cover
the cost of traveling to a national competition.

Of the 75 kids on the team, around 25 are Dunelanders, Cincoski said.
Members, for their part, expressed concern about setting a precedent, in
which organizations not headquartered in or serving Chesterton would want to
hold fundraisers here.

Specifically, Cincoski said that he would attempt to learn whether the home
towns of any of the other kids on the team are also holding tag days.